The Internet Is Wrong: You Can't Speed Up a Smart TV That's Slow - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Despite what online forums might tell you, including ChatGPT, you can't "speed up" an old TV. You could always try just smacking the TV to get it to reboot. I don’t know how misinformation about TVs spreads. Actually, that’s not true, I absolutely do. Uninformed people make a claim online; it gets repeated as received wisdom; Reddit references it; and ChatGPT and other large language models use those posts as sources. As someone who has reviewed TVs since the early 2000s, and confirmed with a major TV manufacturer, I’ll tell you decisively: You can’t speed up an older smart TV. Sorry. I think some of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of what TVs are truly capable of — and what’s actually happening when they’re “slow.” All TVs, even the best ones, use far less capable processors than what’s in your phone, tablet or computer. They might do a good job in a few specialized things, like image

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